


Soulmark

by Mel_Sanfo



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-28
Updated: 2015-06-28
Packaged: 2018-04-06 14:42:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4225782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mel_Sanfo/pseuds/Mel_Sanfo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Felicity Smoak has gone to great lengths to keep her Soulmark from ruling her life... Too bad Fate has a way to work things around!</p><p>Soulmate AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Soulmark

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SuperSillyAndDorky06](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuperSillyAndDorky06/gifts).



> I wanted to try my hand at doing a Soulmate AU. This is my third attempt and I liked it enough to post it. It's not nearly edited enough but I wanted to get it posted. It's 3 AM so please ignore the typos, I will probably edit tomorrow at some point. Oh and in this story, no Ray Palmer cuz yeah.

Her mark appeared when she was 14. She knew what it was the moment her eyes landed on it. Her Soulmark brought her both a sense of longing and dread equally.

Soulmarks had become a much more common topic after the 60’s, even though they’d been around since forever and a day; it was the social movements of the 60’s, the hippies and the break out from earlier stricter decades that forced the issue of Soulmarks and how society in the land of the free (many nations to follow) approach and embrace the irrevocable fact that the marks were not just anomalies of the skin but something more. It took years for people to be mostly on the same page but in the end lists and databases were made regarding the marks and the people who had them (not everyone did) flocked to get listed, photographed and enrolled in search of answers. In a world with billions of people who wouldn’t want to find the person who shared their mark? Their elusive soul mate and supposed love of their life?

For Felicity having a mark was a mockery of her already established belief system. She believed in logic and having a choice, NOT fate! Her mother was unmarked; same as the father that abandoned them when Felicity was little. Why couldn’t she be just like them in that aspect? But of course the moment that those cursed lines and swirls appeared on Felicity’s skin her mother became obsessed with all the possibilities. Because that mark was hope to her that her daughter would not end up abandoned again, she would never truly be alone, not until that mark faded out with the death of her counterpart. Her daughter had a mate, a partner, an ‘in tandem’ portion out there in the world that would need her; quite possibly love her, as her baby deserved. The prospect made Donna ecstatic.

“No, Mom. A mutant blemish is not going to rule my life!” Was her reaction when her mother brought up the subject of enlisting on the Soulmark index when she was 16 and leaving for MIT.

Felicity refused to be part of the list.

Donna enlisted her anyways.

 

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Felicity was grateful that her mark wasn’t in a glaringly obvious location of her body. She’d seen marks on people’s necks, arms, legs and even a tiny Soul mark (held by an acquaintance at MIT) right on the corner of the lips. They came in all shapes, sizes and colors too! If she didn’t resent hers so much she would’ve studied more about them but Soulmarks were a mystery that she had no desire to unravel. Her own mark was easily concealable; resting at the small space between the nip of her waist but just before the swell of her left hip bone, splashed on the skin of her lower belly the hunter green pattern was always hidden from view and if by any chance someone caught a peek of it due to a wardrobe malfunction on her part she passed it off as a ‘should’ve known better than to get wasted and creative’ tattoo.  People didn’t need to know she hated needles and would never get a tattoo.

Her first love, Cooper, had no qualms about being with her even though she was marked. He’d believed her tattoo story at first and their relationship had gone without a hitch. Till the moment that he touched it, that is. Then he knew exactly what it was because it had burned him, as if he’d placed his whole hand on a stove top, though there was no physical damage to speak of when he removed his touch. They had a huge fight after that but later made up. He never made the mistake of allowing his fingers to stray close to the mark again yet he wasn’t deterred from pursuing Felicity, after all it was Felicity who was determined that her mark would not influence or make her decisions for her.

After Cooper’s death and her reformation from her Goth persona she graduated MIT and moved to Starling City for work. Working at QC was truly a dream come true, even if she was a pawn in the IT department. The professional attire required for work helped to conceal her mark from prying eyes and for years it truly was as if it didn’t exist. High waisted skirts with tucked in button down blouses, dresses with strategically placed cut outs (NOT anywhere close to her mark), one piece or specifically selected two piece swim suits (to hide the mark) became staples in her wardrobe. So much so that everyone believed her to be unmarked. She didn’t correct them.

Then the match to her mark came to her… At first in regular clothes, which he filled up very, oh so very nicely… Then clad all in green leather and bleeding all over the back seat of her car.

She recognized the all too familiar lines immediately, even though they adorned the body of another and for a second she both yearned and cursed her fate. The pattern, which on her skin was the perfect embodiment of femininity, on the male body looked almost tribal like and exotic. It made her mouth go dry just looking at it and she wanted to touch it. Desperately. She averted her eyes and forcefully derailed the train of thought from the mark and focused on the task at hand. After all, she might not have wanted a match for her Soulmark but she didn’t want him dead either. So she helped his partner patch him up as best she could.

That night she processed with a bottle of red wine and a tub of mint chip ice cream after the wine was gone.

She didn’t tell a soul about her discovery…

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Almost a year later a package in the mail made her stop dead on her tracks.

Safely enclosed on her townhome, the box discarded and staring at the letter in her shaking hands she followed the instructions on the sticky note attached to the formal envelope. The note held two words on her mother’s handwriting.

‘Call me’

The hand that held her cell phone shook so bad that she hit the speaker phone and sat it on her lap while she clutched the letter with both hands.

“Mom… Why am I getting a letter from the Soulmark index?”

“Well…”

“Mom?”

“You remember before you left for MIT and we discussed enlisting you?”

“Yes…” Felicity answered at once ripping the lip of the envelope with an almost violent approach. “I also remember saying NO quite distinctively!”

“You were 16, baby! I thought you would change your mind once you got a little bit older!” Donna defended her choice “I actually forgot all about it till the letter came in the mail a few days ago.” With a sigh she continued “I’m sorry baby, I swear I was only trying to help. I didn’t want you to bump around through life and end up like me when you could have it easier and be with the love of your life.”

“The love of my life should be MY choice to make, mom!”

“I know, baby, I know… I’m sorry I got you on that list.”

With a heavy sigh and pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose Felicity stretched her neck in a circular motion. She held the letter with one hand while picking invisible lint from her pajama bottoms absentmindedly.

“So… I can’t help it. I have to ask honey. What does the letter say? I have to admit, I’ve been dying to know!”

Felicity didn’t need to read the letter to know but she did anyways. A feeling of dread bubbling within her for if she’d gotten a letter from the index that meant her match had gotten one too, or would get one very soon.

“They are informing me that a match has been made and that I need to go to the local offices at my earliest convenience so they can give me the confidential information regarding my match.” She answered with a shake of her head. “I gotta go, Mom. I’ll call you later.”

She couldn’t take the squeal of delight from the other side of the phone and simply hung up the call, tossing the letter onto the other side of her couch she picked up a throw pillow, pressed it to her face and screamed at the top of her lungs.

This could not be happening! Could it be that her time had run out? Could she somehow nip this in the bud before he got word and went to the offices himself?

Hitting the speed dial on her phone she placed it at her ear and waited. It took two rings for him to pick up.

“Felicity?”

“Oliver, hey!” She hated how her voice sounded a few octaves too high. Clearing her throat she continued, infusing as much confidence as possible onto her words. “Don’t freak out on me but I need to take a few hours off work this morning. I totally spaced out about it but I have a thing…”

_A thing? Really? That was almost as bad a lie as his using syringes because he ran out of sports bottles excuse!_

“A thing?” he offered

“Yup. Nothing huge or bad necessarily just… a thing I have to take care of as soon as humanely possible.  Today, preferibly. So, of course, I needed to call my very lenient boss and let him know, make sure that it was OK because it would just be rude and unprofessional of me to just not show up or show up REALLY late to work while you’re wondering where I went or if a bad guy popped up and grabbed me off the street. Not that that would ever happen. I don’t think. I mean, the odds of that…”

“Felicity.” The concern in his voice was almost too much to bear. “Is everything ok?”

Of all the times for this to come to light it had to be after the Russia fiasco and with people (ex-girlfriend’s included) rising from the dead. Isn’t life just perfect?

“Yeah, Oliver, everything is fine.” She answered “It’s just a thing…My mom sent me something and I have to take care of it for her. Like I said no big deal I just need part of the morning and as soon as it’s done I’ll be back at the office.”

“All right. Let me know if anything else comes up.” Oliver offered after a beat of silence.

“Thanks.”

Once the call was done Felicity gave herself a moment to think before shooting out of her couch to get ready for the day. She’d grab some coffee on the way to the Soulmark index offices and deal with everything then. She could have just hacked their servers and deleted her information but if her letter had already reached her, after her mother had received it and resent it all the way from Vegas, that meant Oliver’s was in the mail or already waiting for him to open it. No. She had to remove herself from this whole thing personally.

A formal removal from the index was the only way to go.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Of course the first face to greet her as she came into work was Isabel Rochev. Felicity had just reached her desk when Isabel walked out of Oliver’s office and glared her way, in that ‘giving her a once over and finding her distasteful’ sort of way she had perfected.

“Taking cues on punctuality from your boss, Miss Smoak? I know you’re a bad secretary but let me make this clear to you; your main task here is to make sure your boss is here on time for his appointments and meetings. If you are not here to do so or cannot perform this task we can find someone that will. Understood?”

“Yes, Miss Rochev.” Felicity answered politely though what she really wanted to do was commit murder with a sharp stiletto heel.

“It’s no wonder this company is a lost cause.” The Russian beauty said before turning on her heel and walking away.

The retreating sound of clicking heels had never sounded sweeter to Felicity. Picking up the mail stack from her desk she sorted it and then entered Oliver’s office, placing the stack on his desk while he took care of a call. At the very bottom, though she’d been tempted to just toss it in the trash can, was his letter from the Soulmark index.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 Later that day Oliver asked her to place a call to the Soulmark index offices to make an appointment. It was set for the very next morning at 9 AM sharp.

The next day Oliver arrived just a little after 10 AM at the office, with Diggle right behind him as was the usual. The moment that he stepped out of the elevators there was a frown etched on his features but he didn’t say a word, he just walked into his office and started working away.

“So, do I even want to ask what’s with him?” Felicity asked Diggle once it was just the two of them near her desk.

“Don’t know. After the meeting this morning he’s been broodier than usual.” Diggle replied

“Google help us all.”

She was pretty sure she knew what had happened in that meeting. They’d probably informed him that his match had chosen to remove herself from the index list; since she’d been enlisted against her will and knowledge removing her before she sued was the least the people at the office could do.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to tell Oliver about the mark. She did, but Oliver had too much on his plate, too many demons, way too many chainsaws in his juggling act, the least he needed was throwing a supposed soul mate into the mix. Especially when he thought he couldn’t be with someone he could really care about, whatever that meant.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 

With Slade’s arrival everything had pretty much gone to hell. Isabel Rochev had gained the company in a sneaky way, Moira Queen was dead, Roy was in an induced coma and Oliver was hurt. If there was a time to speak of her mark this was as far from it as it got!

The plan was out of the box to say the least. Oliver didn’t know how to outthink Slade but Slade had never matched wits with Felicity Smoak before so she came up with a plan that the eye patched enhanced former soldier wouldn’t see coming (all the pun intended). Of course Oliver hated it. He didn’t want to put her in danger like that but they couldn’t find any other way. The plan was simple. Pretend that Slade had taken the wrong woman, leave Felicity at the mansion as bait, rescue both Laurel and Felicity once the blonde had forced the mirakuru cure into Slade’s system and then neutralize Slade.

The words ‘I love you’ however were NOT part of the plan.

When she was taken to Slade himself, by two of his super powered goons, Felicity had realized she might have miscalculated just a tad bit. Maybe she should’ve told Oliver about her mark, just in case she didn’t have a chance after this. The feeling only got worse when the first thing the man did was search her and find her mark. The gloves protected his fingers from the burn, unfortunately. He grinned almost maniacally when he found the swirls and traced them with his index finger. There were two things that she was thankful for: she was glad his ‘ happy find’ kept him oblivious to the syringe with the cure that was hidden on her person and the fact that gorgeous Laurel was not in the room to see his discovery. Because that would’ve been a whole new level of awkward.

“So, you really are the woman he loves.” His voice was gravelly but not unpleasant, it was the fact that the voice belonged to a psychopath that made it eerie.

He placed the call to taunt Oliver into action.

“She is quite lovely… _Your_ Felicity…”

It was all a blur after that. She’d used the cure. The league of assassins had been their back up against the army of mirakuru soldiers. Slade had been taken down. And before she knew it she was standing on a beach at Lian Yu giving Oliver the chance to explain his three word improv at the mansion.

He didn’t.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Felicity decided she’d tell him after dinner.

When he’d ask her on a date it was a glimmer of hope. An opportunity for her to come clean and maybe, just maybe, have things turn out for the better.  She had never placed much stock in fate and the marks themselves but not only did he share hers, the important part of the equation was that Oliver was her CHOICE; he still would have been even if he hadn’t been marked, and she was ready to take the chance and run with it.

Too bad they didn’t even make it past the drinks…

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

She didn’t tell him. She couldn’t. Not after the hospital. Not after Sara’s death. Not when he seemed resigned to stay in a basement and wait to die. She wouldn’t wait for him. As much as it tore at her heart she had to move on from him and the pain that he unwittingly caused.

For the first time in a long time she was absolutely sure that she’d done the right thing removing herself from the index before he found out about her mark.

The guilt of not telling him lessened…

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

He was leaving to fight a duel with one of the most dangerous men in the world and she couldn’t do anything to help. She knew he wouldn’t stay so instead of fighting a losing battle she told him not only to win but to kill once again. And it hurt to say it, it burned her throat as it came out but if there was one thing that she needed to happen was for Oliver to come back and that wouldn’t come to pass if his opponent was still alive.

Before he left he told her he knew two things. He’d do anything to save his sister. And then he repeated those same three words that seemed to haunt her memories of him. Same conviction, same glint and tenderness in his eyes, same wave of caring carried by his voice. She was stunned into silence as she watched him go.

Her Soulmark started to fade and after Merlyn delivered the news of Oliver’s death she wondered if when a mate dies the mark disappears altogether or just fades gradually till it is no more. She was a woman of logic. The blood on the sword was Oliver’s, there was no way anyone could’ve survived wounds like that. Not even her hero. She accepted defeat and grieved.

She should’ve known that he’d prove her wrong.

Weeks later he was back, just like her mark, and working with none other than Malcolm Merlyn; training to go back and beat the man that had almost killed him at his own game.

She wanted to throttle him, not for the first time since she’d met him…

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

As most things from her the truth finally came as part of an epic babble. At least partially.

It was John and Lyla’s wedding reception. Everyone was having a good time and Felicity was chatting with some of Lyla’s family members when it happened. Somehow the conversation had gone from how lucky John and Lyla were to have found each other, as unmarked ones, to Felicity going on a tangent about it not being about finding the matching mark, or non-mark as it were, but having that person find out what they wanted for themselves first and going from there.

She might’ve been a bit tipsy.

Of course Oliver had been close enough to overhear, because of COURSE he was! And when she was about to really make a fool of herself he’d cut in and asked for her to be excused so she could dance with him. Oliver didn’t dance often, if at all, so throwing caution to the wind (thank you red wine!) she made her way to the dance floor with him.

As they swayed to the slow song the DJ had chosen to play Felicity closed her eyes and rested her forehead on his collarbone, trying not to lose herself in the scent of him. Why did he have to smell so damn good? It was odd to have him this close and know that deep down they were miles and miles apart from where she wanted them to be.

“I didn’t know you had a mark.”

The statement was barely a whisper but it made her stiffen in his grip all the same.

“I don’t usually talk about it.” She blurted forcing her body to relax on his grip once more, turning her face away from him while pressing her lips together to keep her words at bay.

Because there was no way that she was going to babble right now. No matter how much wine she’d had. She wasn’t going to talk about it. She wouldn’t mention it's swirls, lines, color or placement. Nope! Not happening! She was going to force her brain, a herculean effort in the presence and closeness of Oliver Queen (his stupid handsome face, his perfect body and scent), to keep the information from spilling out and to NOT go there. Because what was the point? Nothing had changed. He still believed he couldn’t be the Arrow and Oliver Queen. There was no place for a soulmate in his life. She’d gotten the message loud and clear.

The moment that the music stopped was her cue to escape. Removing herself from Oliver’s grasp she smiled, tightly, at him.

“Thanks for the dance.”

Everything would have been smooth sailing for her if one of the other dancing couples nearby hadn’t decided to bump into her as she turned away from Oliver, forcing her to stumble backwards onto a solid chest and for a pair of big hands to grab a hold of her by the waist so she wouldn’t topple over with the force of the collision. Unfortunately for her the size of Oliver’s hands dwarfed her waist, the fingers of his left hand coming to rest over her mark, on top of the fabric of her red dress.

The white hot thrill of 'recognition' between marks so many poets and song writers crooned about shot through both their spines like lightning forcing a gasp from her and a somewhat strangled muted sound from him.

She did her best to graciously accept the apologies of the retreating couple while attempting to get out of Oliver’s hold. Her effort was to no avail. All she managed to do in the end was turn to face him once more and the sight destroyed her. His eyes were closed tightly. His brow knotted in a frown. His lips were a straight thin line and his jaw was clenched so hard she was sure he was going to break something. The set of his shoulders spoke of tension. The only movement, aside from his controlled breathing, was the small back and forth motion of the thumb on the hand that now rested above her hidden mark.

“Oliver. Let go.”

His eyes snapped open at her whisper. His pupils so dilated that the blue was almost completely gone from view, just a slim rim around the black pools. He studied her for what seemed an eternity; an amalgam of emotions swirling on those eyes ranging from confusion, wonder, fear, skepticism and want.

“No.”

Never in her life was she more pissed about his ninja skills as she was at that particular moment. One second they were in the safety of the dance floor, bumping couples excluded, and the next he’d led her away from the public, down a long hall and into the unoccupied changing room for the groom. His hand firmly set on her lower back all the way there.

Once in the room she immediately sought her own space, away from his touch, standing by the window in order to look outside while picking at the nail polish on her thumbnail. The door clicking shut was one of the most ominous sounds she’d ever heard. This was not a conversation that she wanted to have. AT. ALL. But now here they were, alone after the big reveal and she was not going to lie about it or more accurately omit it any longer. So with a deep breath she turned around and faced Oliver, who was still standing at the door with his back to her.

“As much as I appreciate you not throwing me over your shoulder and going full on caveman on me, Oliver, I don’t appreciate being manhandled into a room I have no interest in visiting. Especially when we have a wedding to be a part of, with you being the Best man and me being a guest and all that.”

“How long..?” his voice was low, dangerously close to his Arrow voice before he had discovered the wonders of a voice modulator.

“You’re going to have to be a bit more specific.” She replied with a tilt of her head because SURE the buzz she had going on before the zap of the mark was gone now but she was a bit confused.

“How long have you known?” he asked turning around to face her, his blue eyes burning into hers.

Lifting her chin in defiance she took a deep breath and replied, as calmly as she could manage.

“You mean how long have I known you have my mark? Since the night I found you bleeding on the backseat of my car.” She admitted “In my defense, the arrow pants hang dangerously low on your hips so it’s technically not my fault that I found out.”

“You’ve known for years?” His voice broadcasted his disbelief.

“Yes, I have.”

“And you didn’t think I needed to know!?”

He moved then, stalking over to her like a predator until he was only a feet or two away. His blue eyes were blazing with anger and betrayal. All in all she couldn’t blame him for feeling as he did but there was a difference between understanding where he was coming from and being OK with it.

“I told you, I don’t talk about my mark.” Felicity offered throwing her arms up in the air in frustration. “But while we are on this topic, since you’re obviously not going to drop it, when _exactly_ did you want me to tell you this bombshell, Oliver? When you were dying on the med table at the Foundry that first night? Or maybe you wanted me to tell you while you were trying to stop your new buddy Malcolm Merlyn and his Undertaking? Oh! No, hold on. I’ve got an even better idea on a timeline for this news. Maybe I should have told you after the Undertaking. Oops, no, wait, you were incomunicado in Lian Yu! Ok, so perhaps when QC was under serious threat for a hostile takeover, you were having an identity crisis, making horrible choices for bed partners and then covering your ass with lines beginning with ‘Because of the life I lead…’ would have been better timing, right? Obviously, we can’t forget all the golden opportunities I had to tell you while Sara was coming back from the dead, dealing with her League problems, Slade Wilson AND his mirakuru soldiers as well as a drone that was going to decimate the city.” She finished with a huff, placing her hands on her hips. “So, you tell me, Oliver. When exactly was I supposed to tell you about the mark? Huh?”

“Fe-li-ci-ty…”

“No, Oliver. You don’t get to ‘Fe-li-ci-ty’ me, right now.” She said beginning to pace by the window, gesticulating as she spoke. “I get that you’re mad that I didn’t tell you but it’s not like there were any good windows of opportunity to do so. Then again when the opportunity was there you were making it pretty clear to me that you didn’t want me. So why even bother in the first place?”

“Felicity!” She found herself face to face with him then, his hands engulfing her upper arms. In the blink of an eye he had her pinned to the wall by the window. “You really think I don’t want you?” he asked in a growl.

“Oliver…”

“Felicity.” He crowded her then. Fitting his whole body against hers, lowering his hands along her arms till his fingers entwined with hers, resting his forehead against hers for a moment before lowering his face to nuzzle her neck. “The problem has _never_ been me not wanting you.”

Letting her head fall back against the wall Felicity closed her eyes, squeezing his fingers with hers. The situation should’ve made her uncomfortable, being pressed against a wall by a proverbial wall of hard muscle and flesh. But surrounded by his warmth and scent all she felt was like she’d come home. And for a brief moment she allowed herself to shut off the logical side of her brain and just feel.  Releasing his hands she wrapped her arms about his waist and held him to herself, clutching him tightly, heaving a deep exhale, lowering her head to rest her temple on the side of his head, feeling his short hair tickle her skin.

“When I got my mark I resented the fact that choice was taken from me. I wanted to be an un-marked, like my parents. I wanted to choose who I’d lo… Who I would feel for in the end.” She admitted, catching herself before using the four letter word that she knew could damn her. “And then I met you and I saw your mark, my mark on you. But you had a city to save, a life to get back to, gorgeous Laurel to woo. And I, I didn’t want a soulmate that I didn’t choose. So I was selfish and I am sorry for that.” Her voice broke at the last word “Now here we are. A few scars and years later and it’s still not enough though.” She whispered, doing her best to keep her whisper from wavering. “The Soulmark. You wanting me. It’s not enough, Oliver.”

“I want to see it.” He murmured against her skin, forcing a shiver down her spine.

Removing her arms from his waist she placed her hands on his chest and pushed, gently. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to move him if he didn’t want to be moved but after a second of obvious hesitance he did move, taking a step back from her, locking his eyes with her once more.

“No.” she replied

“Felicity, I want to see your mark.” The sound of his voice was more of a pained whisper than anything else.

“And I said no, Oliver.” She removed her hands from his chest lowering her arms to her sides. “It’s not enough that you say you want me. It’s not enough that you felt my mark’s ‘recognition’. It’s just…not enough.” One hand moved to rest on top of her mark. “This? It doesn’t change anything. Because you’re still convinced you can’t be you, green or otherwise and be with me plus…”

She didn’t get to finish what she believed was going to be quite an epic babble on her part, instead she found her lips occupied by another, very eager, set of lips pressing against her own and her mind went blank. There was nothing gentle about the touch of lips, it was hard and laced with possessiveness, his right hand tangling with her hair and tilting her head back to give him better access. She didn’t fight it, instead she gave as good as she got, kissing him just as hard, just as unburdened, clutching onto the lapel of his tux with one hand to keep herself upright while her knees turned to Jello.

It was his hand sneaking below hers, pressing firmly against her mark, over the fabric of her dress, forcing another ‘recognition’ flare through them that made her gasp into their kiss and he took full advantage of the situation to plunder her mouth with his tongue, mercilessly teasing hers into a game of passion and exploration. He flooded her senses; his taste, his touch, his scent, his warmth, his everything. He was all around her in that fantastic moment of bliss and she craved more. Their bodies molded together like puzzle pieces found at last and she moaned softly against his lips, finding herself pinned against the wall once more.

It wasn’t enough. It wasn’t nearly enough for her. Her mark pulsed when his touch was gone from it and she needed that flare again so she took the chance and pressed her free hand to where she knew his mark was hidden below the fabric of his dress shirt. Her boldness earned her a feral growl in response. Suddenly the hem of her dress was being gathered, hastily, up her thighs, just enough to grant his hand access to more of her skin. But it wasn’t the apex of her legs that he sought. There was a second of disappointment on her part and she removed her lips from his in order to protest but then his hand was there; hot, calloused and pressed flush against her mark.

“Oliver!”  The gasped intonation of his name came unbidden from her throat.

She had denied him the sight of it but that didn’t stop him from seeking the mark other ways. The skin to skin contact was unlike anything she’d ever felt in her life, and by the way he was almost slumping against her, the effect didn’t seem to be one sided either. It was as if her whole body had been lit up from the inside out, burning with a need she’d never known, all nerve endings at full alert, hypersensitive of him and with her brain settings set firmly on pleasure.

“Felicity.” His voice sounded strange in her ears; it was deeper, raspier, and lustful. “You told me that I needed to find another way and that I wasn’t done fighting. Do you remember that?”

Not trusting her voice she nodded her head vigorously, biting her bottom lip to keep from making some embarrassing sounds she was SURE would happen if he didn’t stop touching and stroking her mark as he was. She wanted to both curse at him for being able to think coherently at a time like this and plead for him to keep doing what he was doing. Damn him for having such self-control!

“You’re right. It’s not enough for me to want you. It’s not enough to have these on us.” He brushed the mark more insistently then and she purred. “I see it now. I get it.” He rumbled right next to her ear, kissing the shell of it as he spoke before giving her earlobe a tiny nip with just the right amount pressure to make her buck against him seeking friction. “If you don’t believe anything else I ever tell you believe this, Felicity. I am not _done_ fighting. This time I will fight _for_ this; for _you_. I will find a way to be me and the Arrow, to keep you safe, to fix this, us. And my reward will be to get to see _our_  mark on _your_ skin.”

She gaped at him as he pulled back to look at her surprised, wide, eyes. Her heart was beating faster than ever before with resounding hope and even though she hated herself for it happening as easy as breathing she felt the sincerity in his words all the way to her bones. After all he’d always sucked at lying to her.

He meant every single word.

Her body protested inwardly when he removed his touch from her but she followed suit, lifting her own touch from him. She said nothing as he fixed her dress back to its proper standards and when he kissed her lips sweetly she sighed in contentedness.

“Do you understand?”          

“Yes.”

There was a long way to go for them…but at least Felicity knew two things.

1\. Her Soulmark was her choice in the end.

2\. If he was willing to fight to _be_ with her she’d choose him again a thousand times over, mark or no mark.

**Author's Note:**

> Again thanks to Matty for helping me out with this story!


End file.
